!! In the quiet hours of the bootcamp grind, I found myself: Esteban's Bootcamp Experience

B.E.L. Post # 281

Started my morning at base camp paired with Jules and Eric. Our first task of the day was repairing a few spots on the berm shed where erosion had left the plastic roof lining and a small portion of the wing wall exposed to the elements.

I cut some burlap sacks to size, and we laid them over the areas that needed attention, weighing them down with rocks before adding a thick layer of soil on top. To finish things off, we added plenty of chop-and-drop mulch, giving those spots some much-needed organic matter and extra protection from the elements.

After lunch, I switched tasks and showed Jules and Sam how to properly apply raw linseed oil to the complex trail signs. I also demonstrated proper chainsaw maintenance and split some more kindling along the way.

Yesterday 2026/10/13

I started the morning with Dan and Eric, heading over to the lab to harvest trees for the house paddock project that Leo is running point on. We followed the specifications Leo and Stevie gave us and harvested as much material as we could before heading back to base camp to unload everything at the staging area.

After lunch, I headed down to the shop and secured another tool handle that had gotten pretty loose. Afterwards, I did some chop and drop around the berm shed wing wall to build up more organic matter over that spot.

Later on, I coached Leo on applying linseed oil to the complexity trail signs, showing him how to use light strokes. I also got in some more chainsaw maintenance before heading over to my boot sit spots to prepare the ground for a bench I'll be installing there soon.

B.E.L. Post # 282

I started the morning paired up with Sam and Eric, and we headed over to the Abbey to lay down some mulch that Stephen had staged earlier in the week.

Around 10:45 or so, I broke off from mulching and switched over to felling a live tree with the diameter I needed for the benches at the boot sit spot I’ve been working on. After felling and delimbing the tree, I only had enough time to buck two 4-foot sections to haul back to base camp. I’ll continue processing the rest of the tree tomorrow when I head back up there.

After lunch, I debarked one of the logs before switching gears and splitting some kindling for the Fisher Price House. I also spent some time working on my boot sit spot, clearing away rocks and leveling the ground where I plan to build my roundwood timber sitting bench. I squeezed in a little irrigation while I was at it, too.

Little by little, the boot sit spot is coming together. I’m looking forward to getting the rest of the tree processed tomorrow and making some more progress on the bench. It’ll be nice to have a natural sitting spot out there to take a breather and enjoy the surroundings after a day of work.

Yesterday 2026/10/15

I was paired up with Eric and Sam again for the first half of the boot day. We headed over to the Abbey and took care of the last of the mulch pile. I also bucked two more 4-foot logs from the tree I felled for my boot sit spot and hauled them back to Base Camp.

Before leaving the Lab, we stopped by Cooper Cabin and got the RMH and stovetop going. We spent close to an hour there before heading out.

After lunch, Jules and I went over to the classroom and started debarking the logs I had brought over earlier. From there, we headed over to the little boot sit spot area and did some more clearing to get the space ready for the bench.

After that, we did some irrigation with the water pails.

B.E.L. Post # 283

This morning at Base Camp, Stephen, Jesse and I spent some time bucking, splitting, and stacking a dead-standing tree that had been felled a couple of days ago. We managed to fill up the firewood racks at the Red Cabin and the ones behind the library a little farther down.

After lunch, I worked on another hand tool that needed a new handle, then did some chop and drop.

Later, Sam, Jules and I took care of the rest of the mulch pile that Paul was kind enough to point out to us. Once we got that cleaned up, Jules and I went back to working on the boot sit spot and kept at it until it was time to call it a day and switch over to the raddest pizza party ever!